Seven Natural Wonders of North America


Book Description

Looks at seven natural wonders found in North America, including Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, and Yellowstone National Park.




Seven Natural Wonders of Central and South America


Book Description

Looks at seven natural wonders of Central and South America, including Angel Falls, the Galapagos Islands, and the Amazon River.




Amazing Places to See in North America


Book Description

North America's stunning diversity of attractions offers something for everyone. Rediscover the famous places and unearth off-the-beaten-path gems with this collection of concise descriptions. Learn all about the continent's spectacular natural wonders, incredible collections of historic and artistic treasures, and marvels of architecture and engineering. The colorful summaries of more than 250 attractions are arranged by geographic area for easy trip planning. Includes rich photography, as well as easy-reference icons that identify the best kid-friendly attractions 6 1/2 X 6 1/2




Natural Wonders of the World


Book Description

Discover Earth's most beautiful and fascinating natural landmarks. From the spectacular granite domes of Yosemite to the reefs of the Bahama Banks and the ice sheets of the Antarctic, this is an unparalleled survey of the world's natural treasures. From the Rocky Mountains to the Great barrier Reef and everything in between, Natural Wonders of the World combines breathtaking landscape photography and illustrations with 3-D terrain models and other explanatory artworks to reveal what lies beneath the surface and explain the geological processes to show how the features were formed. Plants and animals that inhabit each environment are also included, making Natural Wonders of the World a complete celebration of our world. Produced in association with the Smithsonian Institution.




North America's Natural Wonders


Book Description

Written by a career geologist with decades of experience in the field, North America’s Natural Wonders guides readers through the most iconic, geologically significant scenery in North America, points out features of interest, explains what they are seeing, and describes how these features came to be. Presented as classic excursions to some of the best-known natural wonders on the continent, Volume II focuses primarily on Central and Eastern North America, including the Appalachians, the Colorado Rockies, Austin-Big Bend Country, and the Sierra Madre. The trips detailed in this volume include stops at quintessential features, such as the Shenandoah Valley, Carlsbad Caverns, Big Bend National Park, and La Popa Basin of Nuevo León and Coahuila, Mexico, as well as many others. It also features discussions of lesser-known but equally interesting geologic formations and important information on accessing these sites. Features Clearly explains the geology of these regions with an emphasis on landscape formation Addresses issues of interest, such as fossils, earthquakes, mineral sites, mining, and oil fields Lavishly illustrated with numerous colorful maps and breathtaking geological landscapes and their various features These six self-guided tours explain to the curious layman, student, and geologist what they are seeing when they look at a roadcut or a quarry and enhances the experience far beyond simple sightseeing.




Natural Wonders of the World


Book Description

Some wild places are known for their sheer physical beauty, others for their incomprehensible vastness or their vanishing ecosystems. This comprehensive portrayal of such wondrous locales to visit includes marvels from every continent: Africa's Victoria Falls and Namib Desert; Asia's Himalayan Mountains and the rain forest in Borneo; Australia's Great Barrier Reef; Europe's Greek Islands and Norwegian fjords; North America's canyonlands and Everglades; South America's Amazon River and Galapagos Islands; and Antarctica's glaciers. This informative text describing each of these celebrated places covers geography, geology, and natural history, providing a concise survey about each location's evolution and its native plants and animals. This lively tour of the most awesome natural places will serve as an inspirational book for the intrepid traveler and an exciting but comfortable journey for the armchair tourist.




A Natural History of North American Trees


Book Description

"A volume for a lifetime" is how The New Yorker described the first of Donald Culross Peatie's two books about American trees published in the 1950s. In this one-volume edition, modern readers are introduced to one of the best nature writers of the last century. As we read Peattie's eloquent and entertaining accounts of American trees, we catch glimpses of our country's history and past daily life that no textbook could ever illuminate so vividly. Here you'll learn about everything from how a species was discovered to the part it played in our country’s history. Pioneers often stabled an animal in the hollow heart of an old sycamore, and the whole family might live there until they could build a log cabin. The tuliptree, the tallest native hardwood, is easier to work than most softwood trees; Daniel Boone carved a sixty-foot canoe from one tree to carry his family from Kentucky into Spanish territory. In the days before the Revolution, the British and the colonists waged an undeclared war over New England's white pines, which made the best tall masts for fighting ships. It's fascinating to learn about the commercial uses of various woods -- for paper, fine furniture, fence posts, matchsticks, house framing, airplane wings, and dozens of other preplastic uses. But we cannot read this book without the occasional lump in our throats. The American elm was still alive when Peattie wrote, but as we read his account today we can see what caused its demise. Audubon's portrait of a pair of loving passenger pigeons in an American beech is considered by many to be his greatest painting. It certainly touched the poet in Donald Culross Peattie as he depicted the extinction of the passenger pigeon when the beech forest was destroyed. A Natural History of North American Trees gives us a picture of life in America from its earliest days to the middle of the last century. The information is always interesting, though often heartbreaking. While Peattie looks for the better side of man's nature, he reports sorrowfully on the greed and waste that have doomed so much of America's virgin forest.




Yellowstone, Land of Wonders


Book Description

In the summer of 1883 Belgian travel writer Jules Leclercq spent ten days on horseback in Yellowstone, the world’s first national park, exploring myriad natural wonders: astonishing geysers, majestic waterfalls, the vast lake, and the breathtaking canyon. He also recorded the considerable human activity, including the rampant vandalism. Leclercq’s account of his travels is itself a small marvel blending natural history, firsthand impressions, scientific lore, and anecdote. Along with his observations on the park’s long-rumored fountains of boiling water and mountains of glass, Leclercq describes camping near geysers, washing clothes in a bubbling hot spring, and meeting such diverse characters as local guides and tourists from the United States and Europe. Notables including former president Ulysses S. Grant and then-president Chester A. Arthur were also in the park that summer to inaugurate the newly completed leg of the Northern Pacific Railroad. A sensation in Europe, the book was never published in English. This deft translation at long last makes available to English-speaking readers a masterpiece of western American travel writing that is a fascinating historical document in its own right.







The Unique States of America


Book Description

From the tiny gold-rush town of Chicken, Alaska to Las Vegas' dazzling Neon Museum and Maryland's famous blue crab, Lonely Planet's Unique States of America takes you on a journey across the 50 states to discover the country's most iconic - and unique - destinations and experiences. Travel off the beaten path and into the heart of each state with our expert itineraries exploring some of the USA's finest art and culture, food and drink, history, sports, and family-friendly places. Get fascinating insights into unmissable sights, attractions, parks and more with Lonely Planet's expert commentary and stunning photography. From roadside attractions to world-class museums, you'll discover pockets of nature on the crowded Northeast corridor, mural installations in Fort Worth, Arkansas, beckoning waters in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, and lots more. Follow the Blue Ridge Parkway from Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountains Chase the ghost of Ernest Hemingway through the tropical island city of Key West, Florida Witness the picturesque charms of New Hampshire's seemingly endless covered bridges Make an architecture pilgrimage to Frank Lloyd Wright's Price Tower in Oklahoma or Martin House in Buffalo Explore Marfa, Texas and Tippet Rise Art Center, Montana on a cross-country artistic odyssey Track the course of Lewis and Clark, or travel back to the days of the Thirteen Colonies Relish the Americana-overdose of Gatlinburg and Dollywood in Tennessee Catch a wave in Hawaii, don a Derby hat in Kentucky, or hit the slopes in the Rockies After a day's exploring, we tell you all about each state's most iconic eats, from Kansas City barbecue to Chicago deep dish pizza and some good old gooey butter cake in St Louis. Not to mention the new outgrowth of vineyards, distilleries, breweries and coffee roasters to quench the thirst of every traveller. About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, on mobile, video and in 14 languages, 12 international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more. Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.